Category ArchiveEvent

This 18-hour, continuing education course for volunteers and mental health professionals working with refugees​ introduces the refugee trauma experience to enhance resilience and self-healing. The course also covers the self-care of helpers, and includes lectures, discussions and experiential workshops.

Instructors

Heidi Ahonen, PhD, RP, MTA, FAMI, professor of Music Therapy at Wilfrid Laurier University, graduate of the Harvard programme of Global Trauma Recovery: Refugee Trauma. Ahonen is a psychotherapist specialized in refugee trauma and PTSD. She conducts vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue workshops all over the world.

Brice Balmer holds a DMin in spirituality and addiction from University of St Michael’s College, an MA in regional planning and resource development from the University of Waterloo, and an MDiv from Methodist Theological School in Ohio.

Iman Arab graduated from Aleppo University in Syria with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree, then a MPH from Damascus University. As a doctor, Arab worked in varies Middle Eastern countries, including Syria, Kuwait and Jordan, with both national and international organizations. Her professional career in Canada has been health-related, especially in the field of mental health promotion and education, diversity and intercultural communication skills. Over the past 10 years she has been a board member of the Reception House for government-assisted refugees, and of the Muslim Social Services. She is a member of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council and Community Coalition on Refugee and Immigrant Concerns, and the vice-chair for the Immigration Partnership – Belonging Group.

Topics Covered

Topics to be covered include:

Intercultural communication skills;

“Cultural meaning making” of trauma;

Introduction to refugee trauma;

Understanding neurology and implications of PTSD;

Refugee trauma experience;

Trauma screening;

Stories that heal: introduction to refugee trauma and healing stories, and how to use storytelling to enhance resilience and self-healing;

The Sponsorship Group Preparation event is an opportunity to gather individuals and groups who are in the process of sponsoring a refugee(s). The hope for the day is that through interactive presentations, participants will gain knowledge regarding Syrian history and culture, trauma and settlement services. There will be opportunities to meet others who are sponsoring refugees and to engage the agencies and groups who provide community support.

The Sponsorship Group Preparation event is an opportunity to gather individuals and groups who are in the process of sponsoring a refugee(s). The hope for the day is that through interactive presentations, participants will gain knowledge regarding Syrian history and culture, trauma and settlement services. There will be opportunities to meet others who are sponsoring refugees and to engage the agencies and groups who provide community support.

Experiential Workshop

EXPLORING THE SOURCE OF VICARIOUS TRAUMA AND BURNOUT AND EMPTYING THE CONTAINERS

Instructor: Dr. Heidi Ahonen

Are you a helping professional, therapist, nurse, social worker, or volunteer? Do you work with traumatized people? Do you witness or share heartbreaking experiences day after day? This experiential workshop is for those who listen to the traumatic experiences of others and find those experiences to be traumas that burdens them as well. Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue affect helping professionals’ physical, psychological and spiritual health as they observe and interact in daily traumatic accounts or react to the traumatic situations of others. Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue not only steal away a helping professional’s passion, but also deteriorates their health. Many of us have unknowingly experienced it. It manifests as a sense of helplessness and ultimately leads to burnout and depression if disregarded. During this experiential workshop a variety of experiential techniques will be used to help participants identify and explore their vicarious traumatization, burnout, stress and resources.

Place: University of Limerick

Time: May 18, 2013 at 12 – 4:30 pm (Includes a coffee break)

Heidi’s Bio

Dr. Heidi Ahonen, PhD, Psychotherapist, Group Analyst, Accredited Music Therapist, and Compassion Fatigue Specialist, is a professor of Music Therapy at Wilfrid Laurier and director of the Manfred and Penny Conrad Institute for Music Therapy Research. Her teaching career includes posts at North Karelia Polytechnic, the Sibelius Academy for Further Education and the Finnish Mental Health Association’s Psychotherapy Training Institute. She has extensive clinical and supervisory experience and has published widely on various therapeutic methodologies and qualitative research. Heidi is the author of Group Analytic Music Therapy (2007) by Barcelona publishers. Heidi has trained music therapists and psychotherapists and conducted workshops for healthcare professionals since 1991. As a clinician, Heidi practices music psychotherapy and in the music therapy field she has developed group analytic music therapy methods, group analytic music therapy supervision model, integrated art and music therapy methods and music listening, imagination and improvisation methods. She specializes in adult clients with childhood traumas, PTSD, burn-out, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and depression.

Experiential Workshop

EXPLORING THE SOURCE OF VICARIOUS TRAUMA AND BURNOUT AND EMPTYING THE CONTAINERS

Instructor:Dr. Heidi Ahonen

Are you a helping professional, therapist, nurse, social worker, missionary worker, pastor, rescue worker, or volunteer? Do you work with traumatized people? Do you witness or share heartbreaking experiences day after day? This experiential workshop is ideal for those who listen to the traumatic experiences of others and find those experiences to be traumas that burdens them as well. Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue affect helping professionals’ physical, psychological and spiritual health as they observe and interact in daily traumatic accounts or react to the traumatic situations of others. Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue not only steal away a helping professional’s passion, but also deteriorates their health. Many of us have unknowingly experienced it. It manifests as a sense of helplessness and ultimately leads to burnout and depression if disregarded. During this experiential workshop a variety of experiential techniques will be used to help participants identify and explore their vicarious traumatization, burnout, stress and resources.

9- 10:00 Introduction of Vicarious Traumatization? What it is? What are the sings? What contributes it?

Break

10:15-11:45 Experiential workshop

Lunch Break

12:30 -14:00 Experiential workshop

Heidi’s Bio

Dr. Heidi Ahonen, PhD, Psychotherapist, Group Analyst, Accredited Music Therapist, and Compassion Fatigue Specialist, is a professor of Music Therapy at Wilfrid Laurier and director of the Manfred and Penny Conrad Institute for Music Therapy Research. Her teaching career includes posts at North Karelia Polytechnic, the Sibelius Academy for Further Education and the Finnish Mental Health Association’s Psychotherapy Training Institute. She has extensive clinical and supervisory experience and has published widely on various therapeutic methodologies and qualitative research. Heidi is the author of Group Analytic Music Therapy (2007) by Barcelona publishers. Heidi has trained music therapists and psychotherapists and conducted workshops for healthcare professionals since 1991. As a clinician, Heidi practices music psychotherapy and in the music therapy field she has developed group analytic music therapy methods, group analytic music therapy supervision model, integrated art and music therapy methods and music listening, imagination and improvisation methods. She specializes in adult clients with childhood traumas, PTSD, burn-out, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and depression.

First Responders and PTSD Workshops

Refugee Trauma Recovery

About Us

More Than Bread helps ‘those that help others’ deal with their own emotional distress and turmoil that they may find themselves wading through unexpectedly.

Heidi Ahonen is registered psychotherapist, accredited music therapist, group analyst, and a graduate from the Harvard University Global Trauma Recovery. Heidi has worked as music therapy professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada since 2001; She is an experienced educator and clinical supervisor; she has written several books; and she conducts vicarious traumatization workshops all over the world.